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Impact of Burnout and Empathy on Correctional Officers’ Aggression
Get PDFCorrectional officers experience persistent occupational stress that places them at elevated risk for burnout, which may negatively affect emotional functioning and increase aggression. Guided by general strain theory, this quantitative nonexperimental correlational study examined the relationships between burnout, empathy, and aggression among uniformed correctional officers working in U.S. jails and prisons. Participants (N = 58) completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire–Short Form through an anonymous online survey. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to answer three research questions. Results indicated that burnout significantly predicted aggression, F(1, 56) = 12.38, p \u3c .001, R² = .18, such that higher burnout was associated with higher aggression scores. Empathy did not significantly predict aggression, F(1, 56) = 2.32, p = .133, R² = .04, though the relationship trended negatively. A multiple regression analysis revealed that burnout and empathy together significantly predicted aggression, F(2, 55) = 7.74, p = .001, R² = .19; however, burnout remained the only significant predictor when controlling for empathy. Additional analyses indicated that burnout significantly predicted all four facets of aggression: verbal aggression, physical aggression, anger, and hostility. These findings suggest that burnout plays a central role in aggression among correctional officers and highlight the importance of organizational and mental health interventions aimed at reducing burnout to promote staff well-being and institutional safety
Implementing Emotional Intelligence to Enhance Leadership Abilities in a Skilled Nursing Home
Get PDFTo meet dynamic changes in healthcare, effective leadership is necessary. A major problem with effective leadership is the lack of emotional intelligence (EI). The purpose of this integrative review is to identify strategies that enhance skilled nursing home leadership abilities using EI. The Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory was used, supported by Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS)Theory. LMX theory explains that leaders-members relationships affect an organization while CAS theory describes healthcare industry as ever-changing. The review question (RQ) that guided this integrative review is: what best EI strategies can be implemented to enhance leadership abilities in a skilled nursing home? Twenty-six articles selected for quality appraisal using Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model (JHNEBP). The result of this integrative review identified two themes, quality relationships between leaders and their followers and dynamic interactions, and eight subthemes including empathy, trust and respect, communication, feedback, adaptive leadership, mindfulness practices and collaborative team-based trainings. The integrative review confirms that implementing EI is a powerful strategy for enhancing leadership capacity in a skilled nursing home. EI is integral to social change, especially within the framework of social determinants of health, promoting emotionally safe and responsive workplaces, and promoting emotionally intelligent leadership. EI supports mental well-being, job satisfaction, and professional empowerment. These are key social determinants that influence the quality of healthcare delivery
Teaching Staff about Pressure Ulcers
Get PDFPressure ulcers are local injuries to the skin and underlying tissue primarily caused by prolonged pressure, friction, or shear forces. These preventable complications are prevalent among immobile patients and can lead to poor patient outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Despite the availability of evidence-based prevention strategies, significant gaps in practice continue due to limited staff knowledge, ineffective communication systems, and inconsistent implementation of established guidelines. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project focused on enhancing nursing staff knowledge through an evidence-based educational strategy designed to educate staff on strategies for preventing pressure ulcers. The education program included a PowerPoint presentation as well as a role-play case study
Staff Education to Strengthen Nurses’ Knowledge of Evidence-Based Strategies for Medication Adherence in Psychiatric Care
Get PDFThis DNP staff education project involved addressing the absence of a structured and standardized approach to guide nurses in promoting medication adherence among psychiatric patients. The practice problem at the local project site was inconsistent use of adherence counseling strategies, which contributed to early treatment discontinuation, poor patient engagement, and frequent readmissions. The practice-focused question for this project was: Does implementing a structured staff education program improve nursing staff knowledge on medication adherence compared to usual care? The purpose of this doctoral project was to implement and evaluate an evidence-based education session to improve nurse knowledge and standardize adherence counseling practices. Descriptive analysis of pre- and post-knowledge assessments was conducted to measure learning outcomes and identify knowledge gains. Results of this project were an increase in mean knowledge scores from 53.6% to 88.1%, with all 14 psychiatric nurses demonstrating measurable improvement. Implications for the organization included improved role clarity, consistent adherence counseling, and enhanced patient communication. The conclusion of this project was that structured, evidence-based education can effectively strengthen psychiatric nurses’ knowledge and promote standardization in terms of adherence practices. Recommendations for future work include quarterly refresher sessions, mentorship, and integration of adherence education into new nurse orientation. Potential implications of this project on nursing practice are improved patient engagement and treatment continuity. This project has the potential to positively impact social change by promoting equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive psychiatric care across mental health settings
Strategies of IT Managers to Promote Technology Adoption in Jamaican Government Institutions
Get PDFThe success of digital transformation depends on effective adoption of technology. Information technology (IT) managers and policymakers must develop robust tactics to achieve long-term acceptance and use of new technologies, as a lack of effective technology adoption strategies can hamper carefully designed digital transformation initiatives. Grounded in the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by IT managers to effectively promote technology adoption in Jamaican government institutions. The participants were four IT managers and practitioners in Jamaican government institutions. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and organizational documents. Through thematic analysis, six themes were identified: (a) organizational preparedness and technological readiness, (b) training and support, (c) inter-organizational collaboration, (d) user involvement, (e) in-house IT technical expertise, and (f) leadership support. A key recommendation is for IT managers to successfully promote technology adoption by providing adequate information communication technology infrastructure and tools, developing tailored training and support programs, building trust, facilitating user engagement, and using a phased implementation approach to introduce new technologies. IT managers and policymakers can use these identified strategies to attain the potential for positive social change by improving the technology adoption rate in government institutions, delivering improved e-services, and providing the public with equal access to government resources
Educating Correctional Nurses on the Use of a Mindfulness Program to Reduce Work Stress
Get PDFCorrectional nurses deliver care in environments marked by violent incidents, chronic understaffing, and moral distress. These conditions heighten occupational stress, jeopardize patient safety, and accelerate staff turnover, yet few U.S. jails provide evidence-based training in rapid self-regulation strategies. The purpose of this staff education project was to evaluate whether a 2-week curriculum could increase correctional nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported skills (KAS) for on-shift mindfulness use. Pender’s health promotion model framed the intervention, Bloom’s taxonomy and Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model informed learning objectives and outcome levels. Five correctional nurses at a large urban jail completed an anonymous 10‑item KAS survey before and after the course. Quantitative data were examined with paired‑sample t tests and Cohens d; qualitative responses were thematically analyzed following Braun and Clarke’s method. Baseline factual knowledge was near the ceiling (M = 4.8/5, 96%) and remained unchanged postintervention, confirming prior familiarity rather than instructional failure. Attitudinal endorsement of mindfulness, however, rose from 3.05 ± 0.55 to 3.70 ± 0.64 on a 5‑point scale (t₄ = 3.50, p = .024, d = 1.56), indicating a large, educationally meaningful shift toward seeing mindfulness as job relevant. Skill enactment data showed sustained use of brief techniques during alarms but highlighted space and device constraints that limited longer practices. Broad adoption of the curriculum may advance positive social change by promoting workforce resilience and health equity within carceral health systems
Young Adults’ Self-Perceptions of Parenting Styles and Attachments Influencing Juvenile Criminality
Get PDFParenting styles, parent-to-child attachments, and parental involvements are contributing factors leading to juvenile delinquency. Adolescents are committing offending acts at a younger age, recidivating, and perpetrating with peers or parents. However, there is a lack of empirical research on juvenile perceptions of parenting, juvenile criminality, and desistance implications. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore past juvenile criminal offenders’ lived experiences and the corresponding influence parenting styles had on their deviant behaviors. Ainsworth and Bowlby’s attachment theory, Baumrind’s parenting style theory, and Bandura’s social learning theory provided a lens for examining young adults’ perceptions of parenting related to their juvenile offending past. The cognitive processing of seven young adult participants was gathered through semi-structured online interviews. The overarching themes discovered were parental engagement in crimes, little parental involvement, parental use of authority, lack of parental engagement in their child’s extracurricular activities, paternal influence on participant’s criminality, and participant’s co-offending with peers. Challenges disclosed by the participants were substance abuse, aggression, depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal. Participant responses were parallel with concepts from attachment, parenting styles, and social learning theory. Findings are consistent with current research for targeted prosocial rehabilitation efforts to achieve desistance and support healthy parent-child relationships. Public policy initiatives, social program development, and resources for juveniles and parents are critical to fostering positive social change, improving public safety through crime reduction by mitigating recidivism
Improving Nurse Adherence to Medication Reconciliation During Patient Admissions to Reduce Medication Errors Through Targeted Education
Get PDFMedication reconciliation errors are a significant clinical concern because they have the potential to result in serious or even life-threatening harm to patients. Implementing risk-reduction strategies through targeted education and systematic processes for medication reconciliation is crucial to enhancing patient safety and mitigating the risk of errors. Over 40% of medication errors occur during patient transitions, such as admissions, which are mainly due to inadequate medication reconciliation. The project addressed a practice-focused question to increase patient admission medication reconciliation by improving nurse knowledge by 20% and reducing medication errors by 60% within 2 months. I employed a pre-/posttest design in the educational project, yielding results that showed a 15.61% increase in participant knowledge, which did not meet the projected 20% increase. An analysis of the overall error rate data revealed a 48% decrease in medication errors overall, with a mean of 0.52 errors per chart and a reduction of 1.48 errors per chart. These results did not achieve project objectives. Although objectives were not met, the project served to bring awareness to the importance of adherence to medication reconciliation during patient admissions. Targeted nurse education has the potential to lead to enhancements in patient outcomes. Ongoing education for new employees and agency nurses, along with regular audits, are essential for maintaining compliance. This initiative promoted positive social change by ensuring equitable access to safer healthcare, fostering interprofessional collaboration, and equipping nurses with education to enhance safety and quality during care transitions
Comparing Fall Champions Versus Standard Protocol to Enhance Fall Prevention in an Adult Medical-Surgical Unit
Get PDFI conducted this quality improvement (QI) initiative with the aim of reducing inpatient falls within an adult medical-surgical unit through the implementation of a Fall Champions model supported by structured education and decentralized nursing leadership. Inpatient falls pose a persistent threat to patient safety, often leading to injury, prolonged hospitalization, and increased healthcare costs. Internal audits conducted through VigiLanz reporting revealed inconsistent protocol compliance and minimal accountability, signaling the need for targeted practice reform. Framed by the guiding question of whether Fall Champions could reduce inpatient falls compared to standard protocols, I evaluated the role of frontline leadership in reinforcing prevention strategies. The purpose was to determine if empowering staff as Fall Champions would promote sustainable practice change. Using pre-/postintervention comparative analysis over a 4-month period (i.e., 2 months before and after implementation), data from VigiLanz reporting was used to assess fall rates and audit adherence. Postimplementation results showed a 70% reduction in fall rate and strengthened staff compliance. Deliverables included Fall Champion training tools and audit tools. The initiative also enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration, staff engagement, and improved accountability. Limitations included a brief evaluation window and staffing variability. The Fall Champion model demonstrated scalability beyond one unit, and implications for nursing practice suggest that integrating frontline leadership can strengthen safety culture and mentorship. These findings support continued exploration of unit-based leadership models in driving evidence-based improvements. Broader adoption across hospital systems may contribute to more consistent outcomes and safer patient care
Effective Organizational Succession Planning Strategies for Retaining Knowledge From Retiring Employees
Get PDFA lack of succession planning to retain critical knowledge from retiring employees poses significant risks to organizational revenue and long-term survival. Organizational leaders are particularly concerned about succession planning because failure to capture employee knowledge threatens organizational performance and survival. Grounded in the 7-step model for succession planning theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project was to identify and explore effective succession planning strategies that some organizational leaders use to retain knowledge from retiring employees to avoid a negative impact on organizational revenue and survival. The participants included eight senior human resource managers from different organizations in the U.S. state of Virginia with successful experiences using such strategies. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and publicly available organizational documents. Three themes emerged from the thematic analysis: (a) strategies for structured succession planning, (b) strategies to address employee resistance to knowledge transfer, and (c) strategies to obtain executive buy-in and stakeholder engagement. A key recommendation is for organizational leaders to implement standard operating procedures that formalize succession planning and knowledge-sharing expectations by providing support in the form of visible endorsements and resource allocation. The implications for positive social change include the potential for organizational leaders to increase organizational revenue, contributing to community welfare through economic stability; increased tax contributions; and reinvestment in social infrastructure, such as schools, parks, and public services